


Revelations

by blaaajung



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ninjas, M/M, Ninja, OT3, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M, code names, got influences from other references, see if you can find the references, they are all ninjas with dumb names
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-08
Updated: 2013-11-15
Packaged: 2017-12-26 01:25:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/959953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blaaajung/pseuds/blaaajung
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where we live, beings of higher authority live among us. They are us. Except, not quite. Trained to move like the wind and strike like a tiger, they are called ninjas. They operate when dark falls, never knowing their partner's names; only their goal. In the day they are regular people like you and I, having regular jobs and going to regular schools, but when the sun goes down, they vanish and reappear in masks, awaiting their next mission. </p><p>Amidst trials and temptations, three ninjas arise to prove that love conquers all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Co-written with Maisy (@allthelittlethings) on Wattpad. Originally posted on our joint account on Wattpad (@HoranyForPaynis). Find Maisy on Tumblr http://somebody-that-took-your-pie.tumblr.com/

_**The Oath and Tenants of The Ninja:** _

 

_**I shall observe the Tenants of The Ninja; Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Indomitable Spirit.** _

 

_**I shall respect all Higher Authority and Seniors.** _

 

_**I shall never abuse The Ways of The Ninja.** _

 

_**I shall never, under any circumstances, reveal my true name and face.** _

 

_**I shall be a champion of Freedom and Justice.** _

 

_**I shall help build a more peaceful world.** _

 

 

 

The world of the Ninjas, little is known about them. They carry out their missions in secret, and were thought by historians to be long-abolished before the  _Edo_  period in Japan. They were wrong. Ninjas still exist. Among us. Everywhere. Not just in Japan now. They've developed new rules and techniques to hide from the pry of nosy beings, and from people in general.

 

They are more stealthy than your top FBI agent, more experienced than any commando in the army when it came to combat fighting. They knew their way around better than any spy to ever exist. They strategise better than any general in the military.

 

Most importantly, they live among us. In the day, they go to work or school like any regular person. But they are  _not_ like us. Far more superior in terms of physical ability, they were always alert and on their toes, ready to fight to the last blood. They operated at night. Once they've put their  _gi_  and mask on, they've got a different identity, a whole different person, a new name. They are never to tell anyone of this identity, of this other life they have.

 

They operate in secret, hidden by the shadows. Sometimes they're assigned missions on their own, other times they work in teams. Teams can be as small as two people and as large as thirty. Team members are never constant. Missions are never the same. Never predictable. The Ninja Lord determines all of these.  _He_ holds supreme authority. No one knows his name or face, but they know his past. The only people who knew of anything and everything in the ninja world are The Authority; a group of people with too many years on their bones to be able to perform any strenuous missions assigned. They are the ones that research and find out issues that need to be 'fixed', and thus assign missions and groups. They have the job to observe and keep tabs on what ninjas do during the day, and also to recruit young ninjas, and send them to the respective centres for training.

 

The existence of Ninjas were so that society would be able to function properly and safely, not having to know the ugly truths of this world. They do all the dirty work; all for a better cause. They only have the Oaths and Tenants to live up to.

 

 

Our particular story revolves around the life of a certain Niall Horan; known to his ninja peers as Grasshopper. He originated from the Ninja Headquarters of Ireland, but was transferred to the Ninja Headquarters of England when he was 14. Family reasons.

 

Currently at the age of 19, he's attending his first year in the University of London and works part-time at a McDonald's near the university campus during the day. During the night, he was a Class-B ninja, sent to do more intricate and advanced missions than other ninjas. There are seven classes of ninjas, besides those of authority. Ranging for Class-G to Class-A, G being ninjas that are most junior and inexperienced, and A being the most experienced and successful in missions. Each ninja gets placed in his or her class based on mission success and individual skills and technique. Niall, for the matter, was extremely successful and skilful for his age, but because of lack of experience, he couldn't be placed in Class-A.

 

Nevertheless, he is quite satisfied with his placement and pay. Yes, pay. Ninjas get paid for what they do. Each individual mission gets a commission on top of their contracted pay. Where does this money come from, you must ask. Well, this is the reason why ninjas are required to have regular day-jobs and identities. More than eighty percent of what they earn goes to the Ninja Trust where they would collect interest from the banks. Therefore, intelligence is also an important factor when it came to recruiting ninjas. A higher pay during the day means more money during the night. Ninjas get paid according to the class they're in. Class-G ninjas would be paid approximately 1000 American dollars per month, on top of their earnings from doing missions. Their pay increases as they are promoted to higher classes.

 

But back to our story. Niall Horan was of small stature for an Irishman. He was not suited to play typical European sports like rugby, something his older brother Greg (who was not a ninja) had a passion for. Niall was approximately a hundred and sixty-seven centimetres in height. Despite not being a typically large Irishman, he had the hereditary Irish paleness and natural blond locks. But one thing about him stood out the most; his eyes. They were incredibly large and were of the clearest blue. The phrase 'eyes are the windows to your soul' could never be truer to Niall Horan. You could see happiness sparkle in his clear orbs when he laughed, sadness cloud over his eyes when he was sad, and mischief twinkle when he had a trick up his sleeve.

 

He was your average Irishman, carefree and fun-loving, despite the fact that he went around prowling during the night doing the dirty works of society. It was in his blood to be a ninja. His uncle Paul from his mother's side is a ninja, and had recommended Niall as a child to The Authority. Niall had since then trained in The Way of The Ninja since the tender age of 9. He had seen more bloodshed and foul play at the age of 13, the official age ninjas have to be to be assigned missions.

 

Now, Niall was having an early dinner on his own at the school cafeteria. Earlier that day, he had received a message that he was to report to duty at the usual time (usual time being when the sun sets), ready and mentally prepared for the assassination of a group of high-ranking policemen who'd been involved in corruption with local gangs.

 

Finishing the last bit of his turkey club sandwich, he emptied his tray and swiftly made his way down the familiar streets of London to the Ninja Headquarters with his dark gym-bag slung over his shoulder. Entering a sleepy corner store, he headed straight for the dairy section, casually slipping on his mask and twisting the icecream tub at the farthest end. The tiles at his feet opened, and Niall braces himself for the rushing of air by his ears as he slid down the tunnel, letting gravity take control.

 

Landing swiftly on his feet, Niall carried on in the dimly lit room where fellow ninjas were already milling about, some already dressed in their  _gi_ and some still wearing everyday clothes, but all had their faces covered. He went to the change-rooms where he switched from his jumper and jeans to his black  _gi,_ and he proceeded to change his worn-out joggers for a pair of specially made  _jika-tabi_ , ninja shoes. Grabbing his weapons from his locker, he slung his twin  _katana_ over his shoulder. He refilled his  _shuriken_ pouch and added a couple of  _kunai_ knives. Now he was ready.

 

“Grasshopper reporting for duty, sir,” Niall announced as he got in line inside the mission hall. The ninjas ready for missions go to the mission hallto line up and get assigned their groups and be briefed in more detail of their mission.

 

“ShadowFox! EyeOfTheTiger! Grasshopper!” an Authority shouted from his spot at the podium.

 

“Yes sir!” three distinct voices called from the ranks, in sync even though they weren't anywhere near each other.

 

Niall's ears perked. What? He was gonna work with  _the_ ShadowFox and  _the_ EyeOfTheTiger? Holy mother of cheese, they were pretty much legends to all the rookie ninjas, also being rookies themselves. They weren't very much older than Niall, rumoured to be around the age of 24-26. They themselves have never worked with each other as far as Niall was concerned (and he  _was_  very concerned). ShadowFox and EyeOfTheTiger were the youngest ever ninjas to be promoted to Class-A when they were both 18. Seemingly, they were rivals.

 

For the first time in a while, Niall felt nervous. What if he didn't seem cool enough to ShadowFox and EyeOfTheTiger? What if he messed up on something and they deemed him unworthy of his position in Class-B? Taking deep breaths, he marched up to the front of the hall and accepted his mission scroll from the masked Authority.

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Grasshopper strikes again..” Niall whispered as the last unsuspecting man fell face first on the ground after receiving a blow on his back. The art of stealth and silent deaths were the first of which every ninja should know, and Niall perfected the very existence of attacks from the back. He knew exactly where to hit to knock his target out immediately, shutting off the nervous system and pushing the right pressure points.

 

Beside him, ShadowFox had started clearing all evidence of their presence (not that they would usually leave any signs, but it's always better safe than sorry) while EyeOfTheTiger was promptly making the deaths look like an accident. The two Class-A ninjas shared a look between each other,  _what is with this kid?_ , it said.

 

Barely two hours of knowing each other (knowing, like literally just being in close proximities and devising the plan to take down the targets), it was obvious that ShadowFox and EyeOfTheTiger shared a natural bond. Generally when ninjas are put in teams, some work better with each other than others. Needless to say, there are those who are naturally being drawn together based on personality and work habits. The two more seasoned ninjas immediately clicked and had formulated similar ideas on how to take their enemy down when given their mission. Niall on the other hand, had different ideas that intrigued the other two.

 

The older two of the trio had planned to attack by stealth when all policemen involved with the corruption were gathered in a meeting past midnight. Niall had suggested timidly that they follow each officer and finish them off silently as there were too many of them in numbers when they were to hold their meeting. ShadowFox and EyeOfTheTiger both agreed to Niall's plan as it seemed most logical. And here they were, mission accomplished before midnight. Record time for a mundane and vigorous mission. It didn't take very long to track each and everyone of those involved in the police corruption case, but it definitely took stealth and skill to get them down soundlessly, as not to alert the rest of the police force.

 

Feeling proud of himself for having come up with the plan ShadowFox and EyeOfTheTiger both agreed to, Niall decided to treat himself to some guilty pleasures (aka tons of fattening shizzles) in the cafeteria at the Ninja Headquarters. The Ninja Headquarters was just like any other official building; except for the fact that it's underground (literally), has a fully equipped fighting range, and everyone is masked in order to protect their identity.

 

Settling for a large poutine and icecream combo (the ninja were fairly international people and had food from all over the world served in their cafeteria), Niall wolfed his well-deserved past-midnight-snack down. He hurriedly grabbed his gym bag from his locker and made his way home hidden among the shadows.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

When most people first met Liam, the first impressions were somewhat dull. He was just a regular boy, from a regular town, with a regular family and a regular home. His eyes and hair were the same kind of brown, his skin was somewhat tanned and his personality sensible. 

 

He was kind and happy. His voice gentle and smooth, with an almost musical tone to it. He had a boyfriend called Zayn and a cosy apartment. He was bullied in school but it never outwardly affected him, sure, he had become quite insecure over the years but he had Zayn to pick him up whenever he fell backwards into that all too familiar depression. 

 

Zayn was tall and lithe, he had large golden eyes with thick eyelashes, soft hair and a great smile and Liam considered him much too beautiful for a regular person like him. He worked in a coffee shop and was loved by most of the regulars.

 

He had an especially good relationship with the little old man who always ordered the same thing every day. Liam would bring him his key lime pie and hot cocoa minutes before his arrival. When the man  _did_ sit down he'd send Liam a warm smile and tuck ten quid into his tip jar. 

 

Liam loved listening to Zayn's stories, he loved watching the way he would move as he talked, his eyes lighting up and making dramatic gestures with his hands. Liam couldn't tell stories like Zayn could, he usually ended up off track and could never make them as interesting as Zayn could.

 

But little did his boyfriend know that when he said he was just going out with his friends, he was actually finding his way towards his headquarters. 

 

He walked down to the local library, long since passed the dead of night. His jeans didn't protect him from the cold and his jumper did barely anything to keep him warm. He slipped behind the building scaled up the scuplture of  a lion and pulled himself up onto the ledge.

 

He pulled out the coral coloured brick and punched in the code. He dropped from the ledge and watched as the lion shifted oh-so-slowly to the side and revealed a tunnel. 

 

Liam hated this part. He took a deep breath through his nose and puffed out his chest. He jumped in and the wind whistled around him, he bent his knees and tumbled across the mat at the bottom.

 

He put on his suit and slipped on his mask, the elastic flicking against the back of his head. He pulled on his gloves and splayed his fingers, working the material into a comfortable position. 

 

ShadowFox they called him and frankly, he thought it was a stupid name. He thought all of their codenames were stupid, actually. There was this one kid in Class-B who had been saddled with the name  _'Grasshopper'_ and strangely enough, the idiot seemed to love it. 

 

Then there was EyeOfTheTiger and he seemed nice enough. He had soft hair like Zayn's and eyes darker than midnight, his voice was gruff and sort of reminded Liam of his favourite superhero. Grasshopper grinned at Liam, revealing his perfect straight teeth and Liam frowned. 

 

_Braces, o_ _bviously._

 

No one naturally has teeth that straight. "Grasshopper strikes again.." He smirked, dancing around the two other boys. 

 

Liam rolled his eyes, tearing off his sleeve and using it to wipe the blood from EyeOfTheTiger's face. "I wish you wouldn't  do this so roughly." He mumbled, EyeOfTheTiger sighed. 

 

"It's the only way I can get them, I can't do the slash like you two can." He muttered, batting Liam's hand away and scratching his scalp.

 

Liam wrapped the useless material around his wrist. He tugged on EyeOfTheTiger's hand and pulled it up to his neck, he pulled his fingers into a point, he pressed his hand into the spot just below his hairline, where a pulse could be heard.

 

"There," He whispered, looking up and noticing EyeOfTheTiger's blush. He quickly let go of his hand and stepped backwards. "I hope that helped." 

 

"I- Er- Thank you," EyeOfTheTiger murmured, fiddling with his hands. He looked down at the floor, occasionally glancing back up at Liam.

 

Grasshopper skipped back to HQ, giggling all the while and chattering about  _'just how fucking great that mission was.'_  

 

EyeOfTheTiger suddenly took Liam's hand again. "You have beautiful eyes." He whispered, Liam felt his face heat up, he shook off his hand and stumbled forward. 

 

"Um, thanks, I guess." Liam's eyes darted around, he shoved his hands into his pockets, so EyeOfTheTiger couldn't grab one again. 

 

Liam was thankful as he fell into bed that night. Zayn opened his eyes slowly and tugged Liam into his arms, he nuzzled into his hair. "Where've you been, Li?" He muttered, kissing the side of Liam's head. Liam wrapped his arms around Zayn's waist and snuggled into his chest. "Out." He replied vaguely, Zayn chuckled. 

 

"You're so cute when you're sleepy." He pulled Liam's chin up and pressed a kiss to  Liam's lips. The younger boy shuffled up until his nose rested in the crook of Zayn's neck and closed his eyes. 

 

"I love you, Zee." He mumbled, Zayn laughed again, tightening the arm around the smaller boy's waist. 

 

"Love you too, Liam." He whispered, Liam smiled, he kissed the older boy's neck as goodnight, Zayn moaned quietly as Liam accidentally dragged his hand over Zayn's crotch, he heaved Liam over more so he was seated on top of him, straddling his hips. Liam stared at him with half-open eyes. "Zayn? What are you doing?" He drawled, Zayn pulled him down for a kiss. 

 

"I'm kissing my boyfriend, what does it look like?" He teased, Liam groaned. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

It was noon and the sun was high in the unusually cloudless skyline of London. Niall Horan was to be found working his midday shift at the McDonalds on the university campus.

 

He was cranky, which was unusual, and he barely got enough sleep the night before (which probably resulted in him being cranky). To make matters worse, he's to be assigned another mission that night.

 

Not that Niall is sick of being a Ninja, no. He loves his job, he really does. He takes pride in his work and what it has made him, but sometimes a teenager just really wants to spend a day in at home sleeping and pigging out without having to await strenuous missions from unknown sources.

 

He really doesn't know why he'd decided to follow his uncle that faithful night. It was all blurry in his memory, and he really couldn't care less because now he's still here, alive and well and strong. For now.

 

But right now though, Niall doesn't have time to ponder about the choices in life and reasons behind them. He has a customer at hand. Two, in fact. And very attractive ones at that.

 

"We'd like a Double Quarter Pounder meal along with a McChicken meal. For here, please," said one of the two particularly attractive men in front of him. The darker one, Niall noted. With a Yorkshire tinge, Niall noticed.

 

Niall didn't have time to study the men properly as he had orders to take.

 

"Would you like anything else with that?" he asked politely as he keyed in their orders, refusing to allow himself to get further distracted by the pair, who were obviously a couple by the way they held each other close, arms dangling loosely but protectively over each other's waists.

 

Despite how hard he'd tried to, he couldn't avoid looking into the eyes of the man with less tattoos, the paler one with a somewhat puppy-dog face. The guy had the deepest brown eyes that spoke of warmth and sincerity, and he's pretty darn sure he's seen those pair of eyes before. Somewhere.

 

"No, that's it for now. Might order a vanilla cone for dessert later, depends," the puppy boy said (Niall had decided to call him the puppy boy as 'the paler boy' wouldn't really suit him since Niall was noticeably way paler than the man).

 

"Alright then, that would be twelve quid please."

 

"Kay. We're paying by debit," the first lad spoke up, flipping out his sleek, silver card from his wallet.

 

"Okay, just swipe or insert your card, and you should know the drill," Niall said before leaving to collect their meal from the food counters at the back. When he got back, he handed the couple their tray and thanked them, wishing them a nice day and hoping they will enjoy the meal. Same old, same old.

 

Except, there seemed to be something familiar about those two. The way they moved, Niall could've sworn he'd seen them before somewhere. He can't quite pinpoint where but he knows he'd seen people with such body structure and movements before. And Niall knows he isn't wrong.

 

Niall had been trained to be able to recognise enemies and allies based on their silhouettes and actions, the way they moved their arm or the way they walk. Every person has their own individual style of doing so, sometimes it's very distinct, and sometimes it seems similar to that of another person, but if you observe long enough, one would notice that there are very unique characteristics to the way one would walk compared to another person. Just by walking alone, one could differentiate a pair of identical twins. And Niall was trained to do so.

 

And with his knowledge, he knew that the couple and him have encountered each other before. He just couldn't figure out when, and why.

 

 

***

 

 

Somewhere in London, a certain Liam Payne and Zayn Malik decided to meet up for lunch at a McDonalds near the university they attended part-time.

 

Liam studied Fitness Training in university while Zayn studied Visual Arts. They both had fairly relaxing schedules, sans Liam's shifts in the coffee store and Zayn's job at a cosy bookstore. And today was just like any other, a day where the two could spend time together, enjoying the presence of one another and just being in love.

 

And yes, they were in love. They were different in so many ways, they came from different towns, different families, different backgrounds and very different upbringings. But through their differences they found comfort and warmth and most of all love for one another.

 

They shared an apartment not to far away from the university, and survived mainly on what came from their part-time jobs, which honestly, didn't pay much. But they're doing fine. Mostly because Liam had top secret night jobs as a Ninja and Zayn has art exhibits that pay surprisingly well for an artist who's not even graduated. But they never spoke of these; some secrets are meant to be kept.

 

"Hey Zayn," Liam spoke up, breaking their comfortable silence. The two had reached the point in their relationship where they didn't really have to speak to each other all the time, where simple glances spoke their most complex emotions and touches reflect what they want to say to each other. Gentle nudges and soft caresses relate to thousands of unspoken words. A single touch has more meaning to them than a thousand words.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"The cashier, I felt like I've seen him around before."

 

"Hmm. He's still looking at us."

 

"Maybe we know him?"

 

"Or maybe he knows us," Zayn smirked. "After all, good looks like these are not easy to come by, yeah?"

Liam smiled.

 

"But Zayn, I'm serious, I swear I've seen him before. Like, I don't know, he seems so familiar."

 

"I don't know, Li. Maybe you're saying this cause you wanna get laid with him?" Zayn shrugged, taking another bite off his burger.

 

"Ugh, no?? I've got you, why would I want him?"

 

"I don't know Li. You tell me. But I have to say, good catch. He's kinda cute."

 

"Oh Lord is my boyfriend trying to set me up with another guy?" Liam groaned.

 

"Relax, Li. I'm just kidding. Hey are you gonna finish those fries?"

 

"You can have them, I'm quite full now."

 

"Thanks," Zayn said, helping himself to the fries. "Oh right, I have an art exhibit tonight at seven. Might go all the way till midnight. Stay safe at home, kay?"

 

"Kay." Liam sighed inwardly in relief. He felt better now that he didn't have to make up an excuse to Zayn about having to meet his friends when he was actually being assigned to another mission again that night. He'd be back by midnight, hopefully.

 

 

***

 

 

Niall Horan had never trusted beautiful people, which is why he hated the Circle from the moment he set eyes on their picture.

 

His older brother, Greg, had a girlfriend. Maryse was tall and had the longest hair he'd ever seen. Coupled with large brown eyes and pretty lashes, she was gorgeous. Yet she'd turned out to be the kind of person who'd knock down lego houses built by kids and insult a child's artistic ability. She'd took to tormenting Niall from the moment they'd met, introduced by Greg when Niall was about six and Greg was fifteen. It started with small, petty ways, first with glaring and name-calling behind his family's back, then it snowballed to pinching him where the bruises won't show. He'd gone to his parents but they didn't believe him. No one had, looking at Maryse. They'd confused beauty with innocence and harmlessness. When she'd broken his arm when Niall was eight by pushing him off the couch, he ran away from home to his uncle's, only to be brought back by his parents.

 

When he was nine, Maryse was knocked down in the street by a hit and run driver and was killed instantly. Niall had been ashamed by his own overwhelming sense of relief then. He took up his Ninja apprenticeship soon after. God, he thought, would surely punish her for being happy that his brother's girlfriend was dead.

 

And He did. Niall was thirteen when he met Josh. He was fifteen and mature for his age. Gelled hair, well-built and tall, biceps well-developed from hours spent on drumming. Niall'd never thought that anything would happen between Josh and him, much less a relationship.

 

Josh was a lot cooler than him, that's for sure. He was also very attractive and sociable. His type preferred tall, slender beauty, but he seemed to prefer Niall's smaller stature. He told him he was beautiful between kisses. The first few months had been a dream, the last few months a nightmare. He became possessive and controlling. When he got angry, he'd lash out on Niall, snarling and whipping his hand across Niall's cheeks.

 

Their break up was a blur in Niall's memories. It wasn't quite considered a proper break up, more like a threat from Niall not to ever mess with him ever again. Niall'd fought him off with the skills he'd learnt as a Ninja apprentice.

 

His family moved to England soon after. Niall was grateful to never have to see Josh again.

 

He'd concentrated more on being a good warrior, immersing himself in trainings and tactics during spare moments. He liked the Ninja world better, everyone's faces were hidden, nobody judged you based on your appearance, but you were measured on what you could achieved. Niall liked that. He liked that a lot.

 

Being a Ninja made him grow up fast. He learnt that not everything is as it seems. Not everyone is as they appear to be.

 

But most Ninjas he knew (those that he's had conversations with) were decent and accepted you for who you are. People weren't judged by their outward appearance, much less being assigned jobs and missions based on what they looked like.

 

Which is why he was surprised when he was handed his assignment in the Authority's private office. Alongside with him were two other Ninjas. Both were familiar to Niall. As if they'd worked together before.

 

"Grasshopper, EyeOfTheTiger, ShadowFox," the Authority addressed them, sparking an interest immediately in Niall's mind. It was them. He was gonna work with these highly accomplished Ninjas again.

 

"Yes sir," the three of them answered in unison.

 

"The files you now hold in your hands contain information on the group, or some would call them a cult, that refer to themselves as The Circle. As you can tell, they are composed of relatively good-looking individuals." Relatively good-looking wasn't quite the word he would use to describe the people in the picture he was examining. More like insanely gorgeous. "It has come to our attention that members of The Circle have been teaching values to the people that are very worrying and potentially harmful to our society. Ideas that do not seem too bad at first but once you think about it enough are actually evil to the core."

 

The three took the pause to digest the information in. Niall had yet to browse through the heavy file he held in his hands, but he's already had a gut feeling that this is going to be one very long case.

 

"The Circle was first formed in 1996," the Authority launched into a detailed review. "There were twelve of them, all young and ambitious, and mostly consisted of middle-class members of society and they were all university students. All were all well-educated and had bright futures.”

 

Niall took a moment to take all this new information in. 1996 was quite a while ago, and this Circle was still strong as it seemed. What was it that preserved them for so long?

 

"The sole purpose of the Circle was so that each of their members could receive equal opportunities in university to join clubs and social activities. The initially started off as a group of zealous individuals with soaring dreams but no runway to start off with. In those days, only the rich got to join extra-curricular activities at university. Most other students had to work during spare time to pay for their food and accommodation on top of their tuition. Those from upperclass families needn't worry about these and thus they had more time in their hands to spare. The Circle saw injustice in the way our society has formed and started fundraiser and other initiatives to support each member so that they would have enough money to spare time for extra-curricular activities. They believed every person deserved a chance to have fun and live to the fullest."

 

Niall's mind raced, thinking of ideas and possibilities to how such a well-meaning group could land itself as a group of interests to the Ninja society in less than twenty years. What have they done?

 

"The Circle was one of the best things that happened to the University of London at that time. But then, within the first year, the members slowly agreed to only financially support those who 'deserved' the money. Their believes and motto shifted so that it now states that only persons approved by the Circle could receive financial support. They were redefining what a person was. Only visually appealing people got accepted. There were initiation processes, and our research has told us that more than eighty percent of the student population would try to get in. Out of that, only about five percent get accepted. The Circle is a new and growing cult. They are even more influential and exclusive than American fraternities and sororities."

 

This was all too much to take in. He attended UOL for God's sake. Why hasn't he noticed any of this? His eyes scanned the picture in his hand and he noticed a little logo at the corner. Something he's definitely seen before around the campus.

 

He didn't have too many friends in university, and he was fine with that. It meant less explaining to do as to why he couldn't party and drink on most nights. Less friends also meant less people to inform him about popular culture, which would explain why he had not a single clue who the Circle were.

 

"I hope you all understand the serious implications the Circle will have on society," the Authority continues speaking. "They are poisoning the minds of our future leaders. Feeding them ideas that unless they are beautiful, they aren't human. There have been numerous cases of suicides from those who've not been accepted to the Circle.

 

"The Circle is a large organisation, and they have a strong alumni and many powerful connections that fully support and finance the Circle's actions. It isn't entirely clear who are supporting them from the outside. Which is why we need the three of you in there to act as undercover members of the Circle. The mission is for all three of you to get into their ranks and give us information about the Circle. In time, our goal is to eradicate the abomination that is the Circle.”

 

Niall was slightly confused. Didn't the Ninjas work on a strict basis that they should keep masks on at all times? Wouldn't going undercover mean that they would have to reveal their faces? So many things were in conflict right now, but Niall knew it wasn't his place to speak. The Authorities would have thought this through.

 

“I sense the confusion amongst you. Fear not. We have made sure that all of your identities would be protected. Despite that, however, we still need the three of you to use your real identity. We know who you are, and it is because of where each of you are naturally located that we've decided to pick you for this mission. Now this is a top-secret mission, and not every Authority knows of it. Some of us have been suspected to have fallen into the clutches of the Circle. We must take every precaution. Now, we're assigning you this mission, trusting that you would put your loyalty to us and loyalty for making this world a better place above anything. It is a very unusual mission, and we've barely ever assigned missions that would last more than a night. This is a very complicated, Class-A mission. I want to make sure that all of you fully understand what you are going in for. Unlike most missions, you have the choice to back out of this one. We do want you three to work together as a team though. And please, make your decision fast. Latest by tomorrow, if you could help it.”

 

Without hesitation, Niall said, “I'm in.” He's long since realised that most humans fall to the flaw of trusting in appearances instead of what lies beneath. This wasn't just about making the world a better place for Niall. It was also kind of a personal thing. How his life had been affected and deeply impacted by beautiful people just because they were beautiful. People gaining money and rights based on their outward appearance. This was certainly not right. Morally and fundamentally.

 

“W-wait,” ShadowFox (or was it EyeOfTheTiger? Niall couldn't be sure at this point. Both their masks were similar) blurted. “I-I have a question, sir.”

 

“Speak.”

 

“Sir, you said that the Circle would only allow attractive or beautiful members in. How, how are you and the other Authorities confident that the three of us could manage to pass that barrier?”

 

“Haven't you learned anything when you were a fledgling? The Authorities know you. We know everything from what your real name is to when you were born and where you were born, to even the finest detail like what exactly is your eye colour. The three of you are fairly good-looking young men. We've decided that and that was another factor as to why we've chosen you. Any more questions?”

 

“N-no sir.”

 

Niall could feel his cheeks heat up despite being placed in an air-conditioned room. And no, he wasn't heating up because he was in his  _gi_  and he has a mask on. He was heating up, or more specifically blushing, because the Authority just called him attractive.

 

“I'm in, sir,” EyeOfTheTiger decided. He seemed, Niall assumed, to be the type that is more calculative, but would be on-board the idea if there was someone to go down with him if all things fail. Perfect, Niall thought, I'm already thinking about failure. Great start to a mission.

 

“I, I'm in as well.”

 

“Great. Now,” the Authority started, “I will debrief you. Basically your intentions for getting into the Circle would be like most applicants,  _for popularity and power._ ShadowFox and EyeOfTheTiger are only part-time students at the university, and Grasshopper is a full-time student. I sincerely hope the three of you would get along well as that is vital for this mission to work. Send us reports every night. In the usual format in which we assign missions. Send it directly to the Ninja Lord. He is the one overseeing this mission. For now, the application period for the Circle begins tomorrow. There will be an initiation process sometime next week. During the time from today to next week, I want the three of you to get to know each other as who you truly are, yourselves. No masks. No code names.”

 

Niall gulped nervously. This was all new and strange. He doesn't know yet how the others would react to him. This is exactly like the first day of grade one all over again.

 

“Is that clear?”

 

“Yes,” the three of them replied unanimously. 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

The three had arranged to meet the following day in a quaint coffee shop, no masks.

 

Niall was nervous. Here he was, preparing to meet two of the best ninjas of all time. What if they decided he wasn’t worthy of their attention?

 

 _Nonsense_ , he berated himself. His thoughts were counterproductive to his current mission. He was trying to eradicate a cult that believed in the whole ‘judge a book by it’s cover’ notion and here he was fretting over how others would judge him by his ‘cover’.

 

Besides, the Authorities consider him good enough to be part of this team. For them to be able to do that he’d have to have some sort of accomplishment. It was an honour, really.

 

Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall, he cursed and hastily grabbed a pair of jeans and threw on a decent-looking hoodie. If he leaves now, he’ll only be ten minutes late. Well, there’s no time to lose. Stuffing his wallet and phone in his pockets, he kicks on a pair of shoes before leaving his flat.

  
  


***

  
  


“I’m meeting my friends today,” Liam announces.

 

“Ah same,” Zayn calls back from the bathroom.

 

“Have fun, I’ll be leaving now,” Liam says.

 

“Bye babes,” Zayn replies before hearing the front door shut.

 

Immediately, he ran out and fixed his hair. He was already fully dressed and freshly showered. A guilty feeling was egging at the bottom of his heart. He shouldn’t be feeling this excited about meeting two people. And he definitely shouldn’t be hiding things like this from his boyfriend.

 

Shaking the doubts out of his head, he reminded himself that he shouldn’t get distracted while he was on a mission. Grabbing the folder he was given the day before, he carelessly stuffed it into his messanger bag. He gave himself a last once-over in the mirror before he decided that he was ready to go.

  
  


***

  
  


Liam felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as he stepped out of the Tube. Glancing at the caller ID, he quickly answered his phone.

 

“Hello?”

 

“ _ShadowFox_?” the voice on the other end, _Grasshopper_ , spoke.

 

“Yeah? Please call me Liam, we’re, uh, supposed to know each other’s real names.”

 

“Sorry, Liam, um, ’m gonna be a little late, I hope y’don’t mind.”

 

 _Irish_ , Liam noted, storing this bit of information in his mind. He couldn’t help it. Profiling people was what he was trained to do.

 

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem,” he answered.

 

“Thank god,” _Grasshopper_ said in relief.

 

And before Liam could as for his real name, the call ended with a click.

 

Liam let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. At least he wasn’t the only one nervous about this meetup. He shrugged and kept walking through the busy streets of London.

  
  


***

  
  


Niall’s first impression of _Shado_ -no, Liam, was: _holy shit that hottie with the hot boyfriend_.

 

Liam did a double take when he saw _Grasshopper_. He nearly choked on the coffee he was sipping, but managed to compose himself. He thanked every force in the universe for those endless days spent on keeping his emotions in check during his earlier days as a ninja. Without that, he would’ve embarrassed himself so badly in front of _Grasshopper_.

 

“So, Liam?” Niall greeted, sliding into a seat opposite Liam. He couldn’t help but feel like this was a blind date; except it wasn’t.

 

“Yes,” Liam managed to smile. “And you?”

 

“Niall.”

 

 _Niall_ , that was definitely Irish. More information to store in Liam’s mind.

 

“Would you like something to drink?”

 

“Yeah, cocoa sounds good,” Niall answered, cheeks pinking.

 

Liam wanted to coo at how adorable this boy was. He was asking for bloody cocoa. He flagged the waiter down. He beat Niall to saying his order and simply smiled when the other boy stared at him curiously after the waiter left.

 

“Is.. _EyeOfTheTiger_ going to be late?” Liam asks, attempting to start a conversation.

 

“Uh.. I called him as well, and uh, yeah. He said ‘sname’s _Zen_?”

 

“ _Zen_? Interesting.”

 

“‘Mnot sure. Couldn’t really tell. He spoke funny,” Niall shrugged, picking up the salt shaker on the table. “Could’ve been _Zed_ or _Zack_ for all I know.”

 

Liam laughed. Sounds familiar.

 

“Reminds me of the way my boyfriend speaks,’ Liam says before he could stop himself.

 

He froze.

 

“Yeah?” Niall comments offhandedly. Then he realised what he just did. He dropped the salt shaker he had been fiddling with.

 

“Oh, yeah..” Niall coughs.. “Not to be creepy or anything but, uh, I saw you guys the other day.. I was the counter-guy at McDonald’s.”

 

Liam breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, ‘bout that, I feel like it’s..fate? ‘Skinda weird how we were brought together for something like this.. I don’t find it creepy, just to let you know. I nearly choked on my coffee when you came in as well.”

 

The jingle at the entrance that signalled a new patron’s arrival to the coffee shop, stopping Liam from saying more things that would most likely embarrass himself even more. He was glad for it, but not so much when he turned his head instinctively to see who it was that just walked in.

 

Niall was smiling when Liam turned to face him again, his mind in a turmoil. He looks at the blond questioningly.

 

“Over here,” Niall waved the all-too-familiar male over.

 

Zayn is a ninja as well, but Liam can just _tell_ when he falters and tries to cover it up and play it off casually. He knows - knew - him well. Or at least he thought he did. His mind raced, and suddenly all the gaps are being filled in. The reason why Zayn would be away some nights as well, why Zayn has such a steady income that was way above what an undergraduate (more so an art student) would get, why sometimes Zayn can just tell that someone’s hiding something even though he barely knew them and how Zayn would awaken everytime he comes home late even when he’s deadly silent.

 

“And you must be _Grasshopper_ ,” Zayn said, taking a seat right beside Niall. “I’m sorry for my tardiness.

 

“ _Zed_?” Niall tried, a grin cracking at his face. Liam had to stop himself from snorting. He wanted to hit himself. And maybe Zayn as well. He should’ve figured it was Zayn from the accent Niall had tried to describe. Not many people had names that started with a Z and had problems pronouncing them properly so that people understood.

 

“Zayn, actually,” the tanned lad said, a smile curling at the side of his lips but not quite reaching his eyes.

 

 _I already knew that_ , Liam thought. He wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. Should he play along and act like this is their first meeting as well? Or should he outright admit that they knew each other from before?

 

Niall noticed before he even got a chance to say anything or to properly look Zayn in the eye.

 

“Wait.. Don’t you guys..know each other?” His smiled faltered, his brows furrowing endearingly as his eyes darted between the two.

 

“Yeah,” Zayn replied, his shoulders seemingly relaxed. “And I remember you as well. That cutie from McDonald’s.”

 

His smile was more genuine this time, and Liam knew this from experience; the way Zayn’s eyes would crinkle slightly when he was truly smiling. He felt a pang of jealousy course through him when Zayn shot Niall a wink.

 

He channelled his gaze to Zayn, his face remained expressionless as his eyes glowered. _What are you doing?_

 

“Ehm, I think it’s really cool how you two are..y’know..and together the whole time…” Niall stuttered, his blush deepening as he stirred his cocoa that just arrived.

 

 _Good_ , Liam thought. _At least you know he’s my boyfriend._

 

There was a silence that followed Niall’s words. Liam looked from Niall, and then to Zayn, and then back to Niall again. It was a staring game. No one was going to say anything for there wasn’t much to say. Liam wanted to forget that this had ever happened, wanted to go back to yesterday where he agreed to be part of this mission. The solace he’d built with Zayn was broken. No longer could he hide who he was and hope for a normal life to escape to.

 

And there was something in the way Zayn looked at him; his brown eyes clouded and unreadable, a frown etched on his face, a look of betrayal.

 

 _I feel betrayed too_ , Liam wanted to say. He thinks Zayn got his message; his face had softened. They’ve built a system where they’ve managed to read each other and convey words with looks and touches. But that alone wasn’t enough.

 

He suddenly remembered that night when they’d first been put together in a team. This whole.. _thing_ explained why they worked so well.. And how they just knew what each other wanted and were able to fluidly move and work together so well.

 

And there was Niall. That poor boy, caught in the midst of this unnecessary tension between Zayn and him. His blue eyes were wide with confusion, and if it weren’t for their current predicament, Liam would’ve found it endearing.

 

“This is sufficiently awkward,” Zayn finally said, breaking the silence.

 

“Did you know?” Liam found himself saying.

 

Zayn looked at him quizzically. Niall tilted his head to the side, waiting expectantly for Liam to elaborate.

 

“Did you know..the other day?” Liam continued, unsure if it was the right time to ask this. “When you.. _EyeOfTheTiger_..what you said to me..?”

 

Niall looked more confused than ever. Zayn exhaled slowly, running his hand haphazardly through his hair, something he did when he was conflicted. _Was he conflicted?_

 

“No..” Zayn breathed out. “I..didn’t.”

 

“And..you just.. Oh god.” The weight of Zayn’s words sank in. Liam was left speechless. He didn’t know what to say. “How.. How could you? What if it wasn’t me? Do you do this to every single team mate you’re assigned to?”

 

“No,” Zayn said quietly.

 

Niall’s eyes darted nervously between the two, his cocoa long-forgotten.

 

Liam stood up abruptly. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’m sorry.”

 

“I’m sorry as well.” Zayn’s voice was soft and some part of Liam was scared of how broken Zayn sounded.

 

 _You should be_ , the other part of Liam thought bitterly.

 

He knew he was being cruel. He can’t help it. He’s only human. It was his defence mechanism. This way people won’t be able to hurt him.

_But this is Zayn!_ his mind screamed. _He would never hurt you!_

 

 _How would I know?_ he countered. _He didn’t tell me he was a ninja and secretly telling other people they had beautiful eyes._

 

 _You didn’t tell him you were a ninja as well_ , his mind said softly.

 

His breathing was loud, roaring in his ears. He needed to be somewhere else. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere he can think properly. Grabbing his phone, Liam faced Zayn fully.

 

“I’ll see you at home,” he said softly to Zayn. Turning to face Niall, he said, “Sorry this first meeting didn’t exactly go as planned. Sorry for dragging you into this.”

 

And he walked out of the coffee store.

 


End file.
